Head coach Ahmed El Kantari has announced his 21-man Morocco U17 squad for the World Cup in Qatar, with two players ruled out through injury and a stated desire to build on Nabil Baha’s legacy.
The FRMF has made official the list of 21 players selected by Ahmed El Kantari for the U17 World Cup in Qatar in 2026, PresseBee reports. The Morocco U17 head coach settled on his group from the 2009 generation at the end of a process he himself described as very difficult.
Two players are missing for medical reasons: Aïssa Gounfissi and Adam El Alaoui, whose ankle injuries did not heal in time. The medical staff did, however, manage to get Afisse back to fitness for the World Cup, while Ben Salah was unable to regain full fitness.
Painful choices to own
The coach does not hide how hard the exercise was. “Putting this list together was very difficult, because we had to choose only 21 players, despite the great ability and the large number of talents in the 2009 generation,” said Ahmed El Kantari, quoted by PresseBee and the FRMF. He added: “It was painful for me to leave out certain names, but making such decisions is part of my responsibilities.”
The depth of this 2009 generation forced the head coach to make calls from a rich pool. The withdrawals of Gounfissi and El Alaoui, both affected in the ankle, also shaped the final make-up of the squad, between medical imperatives and the balance to be found for the World Cup.
Nabil Baha’s legacy
To build his project, El Kantari intends to capitalise on the work done in recent years at the helm of the U17s, in particular the team’s run at the previous edition under the guidance of former head coach Nabil Baha. A continuity he presents as a lever for the Moroccan group.
“We want to benefit from past experiences and build on what has been achieved, and we will go to this competition to fight for our chances with courage, because we have a group capable of competing,” the head coach said, again according to PresseBee and the FRMF. The stated aim is clear: to place Morocco among the best nations in the world at this tournament.
On to Qatar
The U17 World Cup in Qatar in 2026 is the next appointment for this 2009 generation. The medical staff were able to get Afisse back to fitness, while Ben Salah remains short of full fitness at the time of the announcement.
Beyond the list itself, then, it is a group missing two injured players and with Ben Salah still not fully fit that heads to Qatar, with the 2009 generation carrying Morocco’s hopes in the competition.